Something Real

God offers us the ability to experience authentic, lasting change, a dynamic relationship with the living God. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 16:
8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Winter Jam has become one of Christian music's showcase events, with multiple artists playing a variety of venues across the country.  Launched by legendary Christian group New Song, the event has made quite an impact for the Kingdom. 

Crosswalk Headlines featured an appraisal of the event recently, including comments from the evangelist who travelled with the latest tour, Zane Black.  The article stated:

At each stop, Black offered a gospel presentation.

“It seems to me as we traveled around the nation, there’s a stirring, there’s an uprising,” Black told Christian Headlines.

The Winter Tour recorded some 34,500 first-time professions of faith from individuals and had a few sold-out shows.

At one specific sold-out show, Black said, young people unable to get into the arena stayed outside and “worshiped into the night in a parking lot.”

“Some of the artists went there with acoustic guitars,” Black said.

For instance, CAIN would play inside, then go outside to minister with acoustic music.

Black said that the COVID pandemic has been a catalyst for this hunger, stating: “It pulled back the blinders of what’s at stake and made aware of the need [for God], and I think out of it, the Gospel has become that much more beautiful in so many people’s eyes -- and the hope of heaven. The promise of His life now has become all the more tangible.”

But, it's not intended to be a one-off, according to Black; the article noted: 

The purpose of Winter Jam, Black said, is to not only spread the gospel but to encourage Believers -- to “send people back into their communities on fire as the light of Christ in their communities, in their schools, to their friend groups.”

A previous Crosswalk Headlines article related:

Generation Z, Black said, is “hungry for what's real.”

“They are inundated with the counterfeit -- whatever is edited, cropped, filtered,” Black told Crosswalk Headlines. “The digital age has pushed them so far into the world of AI that they long for something real. And so I think we have an opportunity within the church to present authentic, real truth in an age of [the] artificial and skeptic. There is a real God. There's a Book that is true. And there's a love that is life-changing, that's tangible.”

What a great insight - in a world of social media and rampant Internet information, these young people are looking for something real, something authentic. They experience the reality of the presence of God. And, we can ask ourselves: are we experiencing the reality of God's presence in our lives?  Or, are we content with the superficial, the digital, the worldly?

The world's pleasures do not satisfy - it's only as we experience the risen Lord that we move from mere head knowledge to a heart knowledge, a heart changed and energized by the Spirit of Almighty God. We don't seek the experience, but a transformational encounter with the Lord can certainly propel us to a more consistent, passionate walk with Him.  We can be motivated to draw near to Him and see what He will do in and through us.